The raised pedestrian crossing on South Lynn Rd causing "mini tremors' for residents. Herald photo / Sylvie Whinray
The raised pedestrian crossing on South Lynn Rd causing "mini tremors' for residents. Herald photo / Sylvie Whinray
Residents in Titirangi complained about tremors from buses over a raised pedestrian crossing.
The Whau Local Board, which had $359,000 in its budget for the project, agreed to replace it with a level zebra crossing.
Board chairwoman Kay Thomas apologised for the stress caused and emphasised safety improvements.
A Titirangi woman says the tremors from buses moving over a raised pedestrian crossing are like “water torture”.
“One of the buses before 6am will literally wake our house. That’s awful. Nobody in our houses needs to get up that early.
“That’s just the start. It’s not a one-off. It’s constant throughout the day to the last bus on our road at about 10 past midnight on weekdays. It’s like water torture,” said the woman, who did not want to be named.
Another resident told the Whau Local Board that while she originally supported the project, she “hadn’t expected the impact it would have on her house and wellbeing”.
Following multiple complaints from residents about the nine-month-old crossing on South Lynn Road, the board agreed last month to rip it up and install a level zebra crossing, side islands, and a pram crossing.
The raised crossing on South Lynn Road in Titirangi. Herald photo / Sylvie Whinray
Board chairwoman Kay Thomas was apologetic, saying she was disappointed that the project had caused so much stress for residents and did not work out as envisaged to keep children safe on their way to school.
She said recent research by Auckland Transport found some raised crossings have been affected by substrata issues, which can be as deep as 8m, making it “exceptionally expensive”. AT is planning more research on the issue and the areas affected, she said.
AT group manager infrastructure project delivery Mark Banfield confirmed that substrata issues are being investigated by AT’s design and standards team but had no more details at this stage.
The project budget from the local board transport capital fund is $359,600 plus $30,000 from AT, which said the cost of removing the raised crossing and retaining the zebra crossing has still to be fully determined.
“While this puts the project over budget ... we are pleased to have been able to resolve the problem while retaining the safety features of the crossing,” Thomas said.
This is not the first time a raised pedestrian crossing in Auckland has been ripped up after residents complained about vibration and noise.
In January last year, AT demolished a new crossing on Hayr Rd at Three Kings installed a year earlier and designed to last 40 years. It was replaced with a standard crossing.
Contractors digging up the pedestrian crossing at Hayr Rd, Three Kings. Photo / Bernard Orsman
The Titirangi resident who spoke to the Herald said the raised crossing was installed over two weeks last June. AT said minor remedial works were completed in July and September.
After drivers initially slowed down and got used to the crossing, the woman said it wasn’t long before the family started to feel “mini tremors”, mostly from buses on two routes on South Lynn Rd. There are 109 buses in total on weekdays.
In response, the woman has removed ornaments and plates and wedged felt stickers on doors and windows to stop them from rattling, and on advice from Ritchie’s bus company, she started a diary that came up with 20 to 50 big shakes a day.
She said AT tried to fix the problem before Christmas, saying they wanted to make it better but “it didn’t work”.
Banfield said following discussions with the local board, remedial works were carried out on the northern speed table ramp. However, feedback from residents suggested the vibrations had slightly reduced but were still unacceptable.
The woman said AT has told residents the crossing is planned to be removed in April.
